The ideal model of the future isn’t AGI, but Auto-Tune

Civilization has been marked by distinct technological epochs: the wheel, the printing press, the steam engine, etc. etc.

Indeed, the 21st century brought another tech innovation that forced the world to reevaluate everything once thought known, conjuring apocalyptic visions signaling the end of human talent and creativity forever.

You don’t have to ask ChatGPT to know that I’m talking about Auto-Tune.

Welcome to the world of real Robot Rock

In the late 20th century, companies like Anteres and Melodyne leveraged innovations in digital music to develop pitch-correction algorithms. Since digital audio is effectively just 1s and 0s, rather than audio captured to analog tape, an entire new world of audio manipulation became possible.

Music is data, my friends.

While guitarists, synth-heads, and other forward-thinking instrumentalists have been shaping sound with pedals, effects, and outboard for years, the human voice has always been something a bit different.

We have a special fondness for the human voice. Not everyone can play an instrument, but every speaks. Most can sing, or at least sing-along—Oasis selling out stadiums leading 90K fans in a chorus of ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ is evidence that all we humans really want to do is scream our heads off in unison. Karaoke at scale.

For that reason, when Auto-Tune began bending and warping the human voice in early hit pop tunes, it grabbed our attention, but also set off alarm bells.